Coming Home
by Varramond
Summary: Just a little idea that had to get out.


I do not own Harry Potter or any characters used in this story.

Hermione Weasley was beyond confused as she stared at her own gave stone. Oh she new she was a spirit at the moment though she had no idea why but what was really confusing her was that she somehow knew she had been dead for years even though she had yet to leave her headstone and that she had just appeared no more than five minutes ago. She had lived to the age of one hundred and five before her death and though she knew time had passed she did not know how long. Her attention was caught as she heard footsteps sounding off behind her and turned around to see her Rose and Hugo who seemed to be coming to pay their respects.

She smiled warmly at her two children and came to understand that it must once more be Halloween as she had passed on Halloween night and from the appearance of her children it would have been some years ago. She tried to speak to them but quickly realized they could not hear her and she wondered why she was here at all. She listened to them for almost thirty minutes as they told her about what had happened in the last year and she continued to listen as they began talking to each other about something that caught her interest.

"Hey Hugo when do you think dad will be here? You know he comes every year." Hermione was highly confused now as she looked between her daughter and the Headstone of one Ronald Weasley wondering just what was going on.

"Oh you know dad he has to get things taken care of so that he will not be missed for a few hours at Hogwarts while he visits." Hugo stated as Rose nodded with a light smile.

Rose was about to reply and Hermione was trying her best to be heard trying to figure out who they where calling their dad when Ronald was dead as well when a voice interrupted both.

"As much as I love the fact that you two call me that I must ask you not to do so as you stand at your parents graves." The voice said as the two people and one spirit turned to the man who was clutching an old cane and moving slowly towards them. "As much as you two disliked your father he was still your father and I do not wish for you two to disrespect the one who gave you two life."

Hermione gasped as she finally recognized a very old Harry Potter coming towards her children and it took another second for what he said to register. She of course knew that Ron had not been the best of fathers nor husband and as a matter of fact she had wished several times through her life that she had left the man after having her children and only then as she loved her children beyond anything she had ever felt before.

"Why not dad as you where more a dad to us than that spiteful and greedy man." Hermione was shocked to hear her son say about their father.

"Be that as it may my boy, he was still your father and he was once a good man." Harry replied as he leaned down at the foot of her grave.

"He may have been once dad but he lost that right with the way he treated mom. I wish you two had gotten together and we had actually been your children." Hermione stood or floated with her mouth gaping at hearing her daughter say such a thing.

"Why didn't you and mom ever get together dad? I mean anyone that saw you two together at any point in your life could tell you both loved each other." Hermione's eyes widened as she heard that her children had known her so well to know that she had loved Harry. She was also shocked to hear that Harry loved her and even more so when he did not deny it. However what shocked her the most was what he said next.

"Come sit with me and I will tell you why." Harry said as her two children slowly on much older legs than she remembered sat down with Harry Potter who had moved to the side of her grave and leaned against the headstone as if he where leaning into her as he spoke.

"First you must understand that I was not raised in a house of love or anything close to that. When I first met your mother it was the first time I had ever felt that emotion as all I had known before that was pain, loneliness, and sadness with very few happy moments every great now and again. Over time I came to believe it was the feeling one gets if they had had a sister or brother. However as you might guess that was not the case." Harry seemed to pause and tilt his head like he had heard something.

Hermione had gasped as she began putting two and two together by what he was saying as ghostly tears began leaking from her eyes. She had given up on him too early and knew she should have realized he had never known what love was.

Harry couldn't stop a tear as it slipped past as he tried to listen for what he thought he had heard. His attention was caught by Hugo speaking and he had to ask him to repeat the question.

"When did you finally realize that what you felt was love and not a sibling bond?" Hermione heard the question and turned sharply to the old form of the man she had let go of years ago.

"It was the second most painful day of my life as I watched her walk down the isle as I stood next to the man she was about to marry. I realized then I had always wanted to be the man she smiled at as she took that walk." Harry answered as Hermione moved forward and ran her hand along his jawline. She wished he had said something as even then she would have left that wedding in his arms. She had remembered that day and had always wondered why his smiled had looked so forced. She thanked Rose for asking the question she wanted to ask herself.

"Why didn't you say something then to stop the wedding?" Rose asked as the ninety seven year old woman before him looked like she was a child again and listening in rapt attention to his story.

"I was so sure she was happy and that Ron would keep her happy that I could not bring myself to be selfish enough to stop the wedding just so that I could be happy too. I was also scared that she would come to hate me if I had done such a thing." Harry explained with sorrow lacing his every word.

"Then why not tell her later or even after the old bastard died?" The ninety nine year old Hugo Weasley asked with a look of utter confusion on his face.

Harry sighed deeply before he quietly explained. "I tried to be there for your mom every time she needed the support though as to why I didn't tell her later was mainly because she had gone through so much I never wanted to burden her with what could have been. I could not bare the pain that telling her would have caused as she would undoubtedly constantly wondered about what our life could have been like together and that would have only brought her more pain. Of course I now know just how wrong I was but as they say hindsight is twenty-twenty."

All three listeners where now in tears as Harry sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a moment as if he was fighting to hold back his own tears. Silently Hugo and Rose stood before Rose spoke once more before leaving. "You have always treated Hugo and I as well as our owns kids like we where your own and I know mom always loved you dad. So we will not call you anything but what we have always seen you as dad." Rose smiled as Harry gave her a smile in return.

"I want you to promise to tell mom how you really feel the moment you see her when your time comes, dad." Hugo stated in and tone that obviously meant he would accept nothing less.

Harry smiled as he replied. "I promise son the moment I see her I will tell her how much I love her." Hermione watched in tears as her two children turned and left and was surprised to hear Harry speak once more.

"I expect I will be seeing her again very shortly children." Harry stated as he let his eyes close slowly as if he where about to take a nap.

Hermione's ghostly eyes widened as she felt arms wrap around her tightly and found herself instinctively relaxing into them. "I do love you, Hermione and I always have." She heard whispered into her ears as she realized Harry was indeed correct and that she was now being held in his own ghostly arms as she turned away from the body of the man she loved.

Hermione wrapped her own arms around the ghost before her and kissed him soundly before speaking. "Come along Harry its time to head home."

"Yes dear." Was all that was said as the two slowly disappeared returning to the afterlife.


End file.
